Social Media

This Week in Politics & Digital: Online Debates, Twitter Gaffes

With Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee dropping out of the presidential race, the GOP is getting down to business. Still, this week proved that no party — or individual — is safe from slipping up on social media. Some minor Republican gaffes were nothing compared to the Secret Service letting a rogue tweet slam Fox news for its "blathering."

On a happier note, YouTube launched a virtual town hall to help engender debate over major issues without getting bogged down in party politics or party lines.

This weekly series picks out the week's top stories in the intersection of digital technology and politics. Have a look through and let us know what you think by joining the conversation in the comments below.

YouTube launched a dedicated channel where members of Congress can virtually debate important national issues surrounding the budget, economy, energy, Afghanistan, education and health care.

Users can pick an issue and watch two short videos of legislators expressing different perspectives on how to fix it. Users then vote for the video they like best, which is then fed into a Town Hall leaderboard that tracks which legislator is "winning." The catch? Videos aren't always divided along party lines with affiliation being displayed only after the vote has been cast.

The idea is to get the public away from Republican versus Democrat and start speaking about the key issues America faces. The debate topics were first chosen by popularity on Google News but will soon be open to viewer vote. Every month, members of Congress will add new videos answering top-voted questions.

President Barack Obama delivered a speech this week about the United States's role in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as its outlook for the regions. The White House then teamed up with Andy Carvin of NPR and Marc Lynch of Foreign Policy for a live, follow-up chat on Twitter. Users could send in questions using the hashtag, "#MESpeech." The idea for the Twitter follow-up actually came from the White House, according to the NPR news blog.

The Secret Service Sends Rogue Tweet

Turns out the U.S. Secret Service's Twitter account users aren't huge fans of Fox News, judging by a rogue tweet that slipped out this week. The message — "Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can't. Deal. With. The. Blathering." — was another case of an employee mistakenly posting a personal message to an official account.

The Secret Service issued an apology, claiming the tweet — which was almost immediately removed after being sent — did not reflect its overall views. While the White House has never been best friends with Fox News, the tweet was dubbed inappropriate and the poster was banned access to the Secret Service account.

Senator Tweets False Accusation Across the Aisle

In another case of tweet first, ask questions later, Minnesota State Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, a Republican, accused fellow State Sen. Barb Goodwin, a Democrat, of belittling the mentally ill while debating Minnesota's Health and Human Services Bill. The tweet read: "Sen Goodwin just called people with mental illness — idiots and imbeciles — while debating HHS bill."

The thing is, Goodwin didn't actually say that, according to the Star Tribune. The senator, a supporter of services for the mentally illl, said that the first psychiatric hospitals were called institutions for idiots, imbeciles and the insane, attacking the insensitivity of early treatment practices. Upon seeing the false accusation, Goodwin stood up on the Senate floor to protest.

Palin Values Social Media Above "Lame-Stream" Media

Sarah Palin appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News show to defend Newt Gingrich from the onslaught of GOP criticism he received after challenging Paul Ryan's Medicare plan.

Palin called on a switch from the "lame-stream" media (re: mainstream media) to the social realm: "Candidates need to get their message out through the new social media. Don't even participate in that goofy game that's been played for too many years with the leftist lame-stream media."

Social media has already played a huge role in the 2012 campaign, but is it going to replace traditional news outlets? Palin seems to hope so. She went on to applaud Ryan's plan, according to ABC news, calling Obama's idea the "big spending government overreach more indebtness plan."

What's Hot

More in Social Media

What's New

What's Rising

What's Hot

Mashable
is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.